Saturday, the rainy day, someone had left a large glass jar in the garden.
Larry put out his pumpkins. They look, to my eye, like the jar.
Ornaments
Nursery
Nursery Thymes
In other Larry news, he has installed large roll-up gates around the nursery. The idea is to open up the plant yard to the public instead of barricading them behind 12 foot chain link. I think it is a good idea and given the cold winter, with luck his nursery may operate in the black this season. As I pass the plants, in the dark of night, I often think of what business or residence could replace this corner nursery. To me, there is very little that ever could.
March On
Today, in an indecisive mood, I found myself driving by the new Gowanus Nursery. I was a bit taken aback to see such a small footprint for the nursery -apparently located in the lot for a brick building that is being rehabbed and appears to be long from finished. It seems the owner, tired from having to move, has bought a building. The lot, however, is much smaller than the former, at least to my prying eyes. There were staff moving potted perennials around and construction workers in the building. I wondered how well things are going, how well they will go.
I lightly fertilized my broccoli and leek seedlings with liquid fish fertilizer tonight after bringing them in from the cold frame. I left the pea shoots in the frame for the night. Young peas are said to be hardier than the old and tonight I will test that information. I perused my National Gardening Association vegetables book (a fat book, with much info, that I don't believe is published anymore) as brushing up is useful for anything I do only once a year.
I realize I should have broken ground for spinach, chard, peas, cilantro, and greens already. What's up with inoculant for peas, never can find it locally, never have done it. I've no compost yet, and still want a truck load, not a bunch of overpriced bags. But it's looking like bags, patch at a time. Irrigation pipe sits on our floor, as well as netting and row cover fabric. Irrigation pipe should be laid before planting, yet the water is not turned on. Tomatoes need to be started, but at least the bond paper tubes are cut to size and waiting. All this and time soon to transplant perennials in the front yard. March named as such, on the march.
Gowanus Nursery Moving Again
Nursery Business
Today is my third Saturday at the corner nursery. I joined thinking I'd be able to contribute something positive, be informative. What I've learned is that this is business, and business is one hundred percent about sales, and sales must be fast, many, and big. That pleases Business. Sales God commands that I avoid confusing the customer with details, with the gray area. Do not say more than needs to be said. Don't sell them the wrong plant, mind you, don't lead them astray. But don't tell them about root pruning the fig they really want to put in a pot, just tell them it's best to put it in the ground. Don't confuse them with southerly facing walls, just tell them it's best to wrap the fig in November.
In general I would say most customers at the nursery are repeat customers, buying the same thing they bought last year. They require little to no assistance, unless something is missing. They are buying annuals, hanging baskets, and vegetables -rarely big sales. Trees and shrubs would be big sales and although I am pretty sure J&L is not the place people think of for these things, he does stock a small selection: peach, apple, plum, crape myrtle, cherry, japanese maple, magnolia, birch, rhododendron, azalea, laurel, boxwood, etc, etc.
I wish Larry carried more perennials, interesting varieties, arranged by sun or shade- typical but efficient. It would be helpful if his quart perennials, the best deal in town at 3 for $10, were not so often root-bound. Why so cheap anyway? I found a gardening neighbor looking through them, and I mentioned to her how good of a deal it is. Her response, and rightly so, was that they are all root-bound. Any gardener knows how to deal with this, but why not sell healthy plants at $6.99? It's still lower priced than any other outlet, Home Depot excepted (I can only assume). I suspect it has something to do with where he gets his plants, long-standing business relationships, and Larry's ideas about what our neighborhood will tolerate in terms of plant prices.
Well, I'm out to plant the bush beans, then off to the nursery for my day's work.
Al Swearengen's Nursery
As you read this, I'm doing something new. Possibly against my better judgement and possibly against Larry's better judgement, I will begin working at J&L nursery one day a week. Ostensibly as a salesperson. Larry asked me a week ago after a young couple, in my opinion, didn't want to deal with him. They turned to me when he asked them what they were looking for. Of course, I didn't work there, but I helped them anyway. Its lore that whenever I am shopping at a nursery, people turn to me for help. I must look the part.
Larry's a bit scary, old brooklyn, coarse. He's a bit like Ian McShane's Al Swearengen, the foul mouthed, sometimes softhearted, character of the HBO series Deadwood (which I sorely miss). I don't know how well I'll handle the reality of working for him. Its been 21 years since I worked at a nursery, or retail at that. Suddenly I need to know all the plants Larry carries. Its not about what I like anymore, but about what sells -or what Larry wants to sell. My opinions will need to be channeled. Larry thinks Cherry Laurels are great. They take dry shade, or shade, or sun -a plus in our shady or sunny yards. Yet they grow fast, tall, they can be aggressive. I'll need to read the customer. Larry repeats, mantra-like, not to marry the customer. I'll need to reinforce that I work one day a week. I have a job, already. And the new studio.
What I do like is the opportunity to speak directly to people about plants, my didactic self channeled into a paying (however little) opportunity. And its around the corner. I like that. Enormously. The best commute. I've joined the horticulture industry. At least for one season. And then we'll see.
Poor Man's Patio Part 1
The task.
This was it: the big weekend. The weekend that I would straighten out the side yard. First thing to do: find paving for the patio. I went to my corner nursery (so lucky!) J&L ('L' is for Larry, 'J' is ?), because I saw Larry, the owner, there when I was picking up my laundry: I didn't want to miss my only opportunity. I asked him for paving -anything he had, a mismatched motley pile of whatever, and he said he happened to have some leftover slate across the street.
I knew I would hit some lily bulbs that I had planted last fall and were still beneath the surface.
The bucket of transplants including dicentra and aconitum.
There was some confusion as to whether it was really there, so we went looking and lo and behold -there it was. He lent me a wheelbarrow and I hauled about 10 large pieces to my garden. I also took about 5 smalls for extra stepping stones. He charged me an unbelievably excellent price, which he let me know was for me only, so I can't mention it here. While I picked out the right stones, Larry's son, Colin, talked to me about his father's business troubles. This has been a growing problem over, I would say, the last 2 or three years. His hardscaping work is down to almost zero and the nursery has a major competitor with a parking lot about a mile down the road. Larry's prices are the best in town and I can't imagine the block without the nursery -well, I could and it's not as good. Of course, Lowe's and the Home Depot are kicking his ass price wise -and they also have parking and paint and wood and air conditioners.
But Larry, my local nursery gave me a great deal and lent me his wheelbarrow, telling me to take my time. That's worth a dollar more on bags of soil. Of course, knowing he might close the nursery fueled mighty fantasies of taking over his nursery business. I've long had this fantasy -starting my own nursery, and I nursed it all weekend while working on the side yard. Of course, I have no money, and his business is no car wash -where the money seems to flow like suds over fender.
The slate pile. Mostly gray-blue with a greenish tinge, but one or two brownish ones.
The first thing to do was remove the plants that were in the way of the patio and new path.
I dug up all the Crocus tommasinianus.
I knew I would hit some lily bulbs that I had planted last fall and were still beneath the surface.The bucket of transplants including dicentra and aconitum.I re-used the landscape fabric that I had placed under the vegetable boxes last year, laying it out just so after I had done my simple best to level the underlying soil, which is fairly clayey.
Then I went to the hardware store, one block away on CIA, and bought some sand. I should point out that if I had a choice, I would have bought crusher fines as the under course and gap fill. If you can find it, do that, because it is a superior material for dry laying stones. Unfortunately neither my nursery or hardware store has this material, but I think you can get it in the landscape section of the big box home centers or at any masonry or hardscape material business.
The sand placed over the fabric.
Back to the sand, which is a coarse builder's sand, often found in those plastic weave bags with a metal twist tie. I was able to buy this sand at $1.50 for a 40 or 50 lb bag -a remarkable price, and found right on my block. The owner graciously offered a hand truck to cart my 6 bags to the garden. Things were shaping up nicely and I had only spent about 60 bucks.
I laid out the stones as best as I could, trying for maximum gaps of about 1 inch, although there are always irregularities. Leveling the stones is the fun part, working them into the sand to have as little height difference between each adjacent edge. It's okay to have some difference, maybe an 1/8th-inch or so. It's also important that they do not rock or tip when I stand on them, so I checked for this as well. After leveling, I filled the gaps with sand -making sure to push the sand down into the unseen voids. I did not have any edging for the patio, so I used the clay soil, bringing it up to the stones' edge.
The not quite finished patio.
Part 2 later...
Supporting My Corner Nursery
I worry that he's getting older and hard times might move him toward retirement. I really like living a half-block from my garden needs. So I'm going to give them all the business I can afford. Including bags of compost to fill these tubs I got from the boxwood shrubs I planted the other day.
If You're This Kind of Gardener (I am)
Now, and really for the whole month of November into December, is an excellent time to get deals on bulbs at retail nurseries. I went to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden the other day to check out what they had. Less than last year, but I still picked up some Allium Sphaerocephalon bulbs at 50% off. There are always bulbs left over from the selling season. Intrepid garden shoppers can get out and help clear those bulbs from the shelf for a discount. Yeah, its cold for planting -but not too cold to plant those bulbs.
Often available are the stalwarts of the everyday garden -tulips, daffodils, hyacinths overstocked by the retailer. But the BBG had some different Alliums and a species tulip or two. So, if this is your kind of gig, stop by your local nursery and help them unload some of those bulbs. But don't do it unless its at a discount. Planting in the cold is only worth it when its backed up by a solid bargain. The nursery should be eager to let those bulbs go. And as long as your soil isn't frozen, and here in NYC it is not, you can get those bulbs in the ground.
Sale rack at the BBG
Often available are the stalwarts of the everyday garden -tulips, daffodils, hyacinths overstocked by the retailer. But the BBG had some different Alliums and a species tulip or two. So, if this is your kind of gig, stop by your local nursery and help them unload some of those bulbs. But don't do it unless its at a discount. Planting in the cold is only worth it when its backed up by a solid bargain. The nursery should be eager to let those bulbs go. And as long as your soil isn't frozen, and here in NYC it is not, you can get those bulbs in the ground.
Allium Sphaerocephalon
Gentlemen, Start Your Tomatoes
I didn't recall how difficult it is to build things on a sidewalk in NYC. Take the moment when I cut myself with the pullsaw and hesitated to run in and get a paper towel and bandage because I didn't want to leave the chop saw and drill on the sidewalk! Finally, I took my chances and stopped the bleeding.
scrap poplar, scrap redwood, and new pine boxes
I made three boxes today, out there on the sidewalk. Rain continued to threaten, sometimes sprinkling. But somehow I managed three boxes, two from scrap wood and one from wood I bought. I have about five more boxes to go and the new vegetable garden will be complete. I've already planted up three new tomato starts.
I'm not much for seed-starting while living in the city; no room and I hate tossing all those extras. So I like to buy good-sized starts. Last week I found the two tomato varieties I had been buying at the farmer's market last summer to the tune of $4.50 a pound. They are Brandywine and Striped German, and although there were other varieties to be had, I needed to be disciplined. I bought only these two starts.
Brandywine and Striped German tomato starts and basil fourpack
This vendor at the Borough Hall farmer's market was selling these starts for only $1.00 each! What a price -and these plants were about 8 inches tall. The container they were in was tiny, but they looked healthy. With tomatoes I do not worry much about this because I'm going to pluck off the lower leaves and plant those babies deep in the soil so that they root from the stem as well as the roots.
I think its important for NYC nurseries to sell single starts as well as the four and six packs. I don't know what I would do with four or six -I barely have space for one! I went to four nurseries this past weekend and vegetable starts were running from $2.50 to $4.00 for individual plants. I bought one last variety at Gowanus Nursery, a San Marzano plum type. Just one.
scrap poplar, scrap redwood, and new pine boxesI made three boxes today, out there on the sidewalk. Rain continued to threaten, sometimes sprinkling. But somehow I managed three boxes, two from scrap wood and one from wood I bought. I have about five more boxes to go and the new vegetable garden will be complete. I've already planted up three new tomato starts.
I'm not much for seed-starting while living in the city; no room and I hate tossing all those extras. So I like to buy good-sized starts. Last week I found the two tomato varieties I had been buying at the farmer's market last summer to the tune of $4.50 a pound. They are Brandywine and Striped German, and although there were other varieties to be had, I needed to be disciplined. I bought only these two starts.
Brandywine and Striped German tomato starts and basil fourpackThis vendor at the Borough Hall farmer's market was selling these starts for only $1.00 each! What a price -and these plants were about 8 inches tall. The container they were in was tiny, but they looked healthy. With tomatoes I do not worry much about this because I'm going to pluck off the lower leaves and plant those babies deep in the soil so that they root from the stem as well as the roots.
I think its important for NYC nurseries to sell single starts as well as the four and six packs. I don't know what I would do with four or six -I barely have space for one! I went to four nurseries this past weekend and vegetable starts were running from $2.50 to $4.00 for individual plants. I bought one last variety at Gowanus Nursery, a San Marzano plum type. Just one.
New York City Garden Center and Plant Nursery Map
This map of nurseries is not an endorsement of any particular business, but a resource for anyone looking for a nursery in the NYC area. Undoubtedly, I missed a few that are out there. Use the comment option if you have a favorite I missed. I chose to not include any florists or hardware stores that also sell bedding plants. There are many more of those in NYC.
I included some nurseries that are in NJ, Yonkers, and Long Island despite their outlying status. Those are marked with the empty marker.
Some regions are woefully without local nurseries, although many of these areas are probably served by hardware stores, florists, and some big box stores. Specifically Queens, which has more planting space than any borough, but also is in closer proximity to all the suburban nurseries.
MAP TO THE NURSERIES:
Zoom in, click on green icons for more information.
View NYC Garden Nurseries in a larger map
Brooklyn Native
A comment posted recently by The Flatbush Gardener got me thinking about native plants. His question, "I'm looking for sources [of seeds] for ecotypes local to or near NYC and Brooklyn, Including Long Island, Any recommendations?" But my resources were old, and in books. So I hit the internet and realized quickly that native is used quite broadly.
When we say "native" to Brooklyn, do we mean native to North American, Eastern, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic coastal, coastal woodland, coastal wetland, etc. etc? Ten or twenty thousand years ago, Long Island was non-existent to just formed from retreating glaciers. The Flatbush Gardener and I both live on the out wash plain immediately south of the Harbor Hill Terminal Moraine. Any plants that found their way here did so from the mainland and no doubt populations of plants shifted as temperatures were on the rise and the ocean advanced inland. If 10,000 years ago plants were colonizing the Long Island land mass, what were they?
Brooklyn may have a specific geopolitical identity, but it does not have a highly specific identity with regard to its native plants. Those growing here may be the same as those native to parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, the Hudson Valley and further. The Nature Conservancy's EcoRegion Map describes our region as North Atlantic Coast. Yet I would feel comfortable saying that Brooklyn has much crossover with another of their named regions, the Lower New England Northern Piedmont.
The benefits of this are great when it comes time to plant natives in our gardens! We can choose from a wider range of plants than if we were planting natives for very specific ecosystems, like the Pine Barrens of Long Island or New Jersey. And this is a boon, because sources for native plants of the Pine Barrens are limited, but sources for natives of the greater region are plentiful.
But how do you know the plants or plant seeds that you are about to purchase are native to our area when they are labeled simply as "native"? Its wise to look to the experts.
For those of us in New York City, we can start with NYC Parks. Visit the Native Plant Center in the Greenbelt on Staten Island (I plan to do so this spring). Check out the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Peruse the Audubon Society's book titled Eastern Forests. The New York Flora Association has an atlas of NY flora that will be useful in determining natives from non-natives. Also check out the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation site which includes rare native plant listings for New York State. This book LONG ISLAND NATIVE PLANTS FOR LANDSCAPING: A SOURCE BOOK, by Karen Blumer published in 1990 by Growing Wild Publications should be awfully useful if you can find it (used at Amazon).
From these listings and display gardens you can cull true regional natives that work for your particular garden environment as well as the local ecosystem. Jot down specific plant names and then move on to places that sell native plants or seeds.
Locally, we have the Westchester Community College Native Plant Center. They have a plant sale in early May. As I mentioned in a previous post, you can order native plant seeds from the New England Wildflower Society. A group called Plant Native has an excellent website with listings of native plants by region as well as listings by region of nurseries that sell native plants.
Once you know the botanical name for the regional natives you want, you can also go to your favorite nurseries or catalogues to seek them out. Here is a list of some regional native plant suppliers:
Fort Pond Native Plants
Toadshade Wildflower Farm
Environmental Concern - all the way in Maryland but a great service
Partnership for NJ Plant Conservation - a listing of NJ nurseries that sell natives
For a good dose of info on ecotypes, visit Wild Ones.
For more information on the New York Bight Watershed .
More on the New York Bight and Atlantic Coastal Plain .
Another on the geology of our region by the USGS.
When we say "native" to Brooklyn, do we mean native to North American, Eastern, Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic coastal, coastal woodland, coastal wetland, etc. etc? Ten or twenty thousand years ago, Long Island was non-existent to just formed from retreating glaciers. The Flatbush Gardener and I both live on the out wash plain immediately south of the Harbor Hill Terminal Moraine. Any plants that found their way here did so from the mainland and no doubt populations of plants shifted as temperatures were on the rise and the ocean advanced inland. If 10,000 years ago plants were colonizing the Long Island land mass, what were they?
Brooklyn may have a specific geopolitical identity, but it does not have a highly specific identity with regard to its native plants. Those growing here may be the same as those native to parts of New Jersey, Connecticut, Eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland, Massachusetts, Delaware, the Hudson Valley and further. The Nature Conservancy's EcoRegion Map describes our region as North Atlantic Coast. Yet I would feel comfortable saying that Brooklyn has much crossover with another of their named regions, the Lower New England Northern Piedmont.
The benefits of this are great when it comes time to plant natives in our gardens! We can choose from a wider range of plants than if we were planting natives for very specific ecosystems, like the Pine Barrens of Long Island or New Jersey. And this is a boon, because sources for native plants of the Pine Barrens are limited, but sources for natives of the greater region are plentiful.
But how do you know the plants or plant seeds that you are about to purchase are native to our area when they are labeled simply as "native"? Its wise to look to the experts.
For those of us in New York City, we can start with NYC Parks. Visit the Native Plant Center in the Greenbelt on Staten Island (I plan to do so this spring). Check out the Native Flora Garden at the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Peruse the Audubon Society's book titled Eastern Forests. The New York Flora Association has an atlas of NY flora that will be useful in determining natives from non-natives. Also check out the NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation site which includes rare native plant listings for New York State. This book LONG ISLAND NATIVE PLANTS FOR LANDSCAPING: A SOURCE BOOK, by Karen Blumer published in 1990 by Growing Wild Publications should be awfully useful if you can find it (used at Amazon).
From these listings and display gardens you can cull true regional natives that work for your particular garden environment as well as the local ecosystem. Jot down specific plant names and then move on to places that sell native plants or seeds.
Locally, we have the Westchester Community College Native Plant Center. They have a plant sale in early May. As I mentioned in a previous post, you can order native plant seeds from the New England Wildflower Society. A group called Plant Native has an excellent website with listings of native plants by region as well as listings by region of nurseries that sell native plants.
Once you know the botanical name for the regional natives you want, you can also go to your favorite nurseries or catalogues to seek them out. Here is a list of some regional native plant suppliers:
Fort Pond Native Plants
Toadshade Wildflower Farm
Environmental Concern - all the way in Maryland but a great service
Partnership for NJ Plant Conservation - a listing of NJ nurseries that sell natives
For a good dose of info on ecotypes, visit Wild Ones.
For more information on the New York Bight Watershed .
More on the New York Bight and Atlantic Coastal Plain .
Another on the geology of our region by the USGS.
New York City Area Plant Nursery Map
This map of nurseries is not an endorsement of any particular business, but a resource for anyone looking for a nursery in the NYC area. Undoubtedly, I missed a few that are out there. Email me at nycgarden@gmail.com if you have a favorite that I missed. I chose to not include any florists or hardware stores that also sell bedding plants, as there are so many more of those in NYC that it would overwhelm the map.
I've also included some nurseries that are in NJ, Yonkers, and Long Island that are within driving distance of NYC. These are marked with an empty green marker.
Some regions of NYC (Queens and Bronx) are woefully without local nurseries, although many of these areas are probably served by hardware stores, florists, and some big box stores.
MAP TO THE NURSERIES:
Zoom in, then click on green icons for more information.
View NYC Garden Nurseries in a larger map
Hooked on Plants
Who doesn't remember Red Hook when it was a bit sleepier, especially on weekends. Before Fairway, I used to have a studio on Beard Street. Alas, the prices rose and now I am adrift. But what's this, a virtual renaissance of Red Hook's empty lots. Nurseries you say, three?! Maybe for its empty lots, maybe for its new found vehicular traffic on weekends, but there it is-three plant and garden centers in Red Hook. Three?! That is unusual. I guess we need to call it a district now.
I have not been to the Gowanus Nursery since its inception on 3rd. I haven't been to Chelsea Garden Center since it was only in Chelsea. Liberty Sunset, well that's just too new, but I think I was staring at its plastic sheeted greenhouse for at least a couple of years. What I do realize is the dependence on cars to get to these establishments (B77, B71, and B61 buses go to the neighborhood).
Do you know one of those people who will drive all around town to save three cents on gas? Don't drive out of town for plants unless that's what its all about-the drive out of town, nice day in the country (or on the L.I.E.). As for price differences in Red Hook, I say the nurseries are close enough to each other to shop around. But really, what do you think a flat of annuals should cost in NYC? Let me tell you about 4.99 a gallon perennials I buy in Maine when I drop in. And prices are going up, for us and the retailer-the price of fuel alone is driving up the price of everything.
I expect that if each of these nurseries has a specific identity, they all may last. Specialize, have good service. Keep your plants watered. Twenty bucks for a flat of annuals isn't so bad. Twenty bucks ain't what it used to be. The souls who work out in the rurals, those folks who put seeds into flats in humid greenhouses need to make their dollar too. This is NEW YORK CITY! I expect twenty dollar flats to be near the bottom! When I was 19 I worked at Frank's Nursery & Crafts. We sold flats of annuals for 7.99-11.99. This was in 1989. What has happened to the price of everything in 18 years? How much is the real estate you garden on worth? This isn't the suburbs either, where you may have a 1/4 acre to fill with your annual mash up. The lots are small, no doubt not filled with annual starts. In places like NYC small things cost more than big things elsewhere. Either way, I don't hesitate to say, if you want the cheapest annuals, try the big chains.
I do gauge a nursery's prices, but not on a flat of disposable annuals-a luxury product. I gauge them on the price of a half or full gallon perennial and with the knowledge that some perennials will cost more than others, even if all in the same sized pot. I do this with the understanding that year after year, this plant will be with me, and divisible. Suddenly, that 14.99 dollar gallon seems on low side, 12.99 a downright bargain. I'd say that 12.99 is the minimum we may find locally. I suspect, too, that the price of the gallon is relative to the attention paid to it while it at the nursery.
An example: Hick's Nursery and Martin Viette Nursery. Both out on Long Island, about an hour's drive. Viette is on Route 25A in East Norwich. Hick's is on Route 25 in Westbury. Viette has higher prices (12.99-19.99) per gallon perennial, but the upkeep is excellent. Hick's has lower prices, say 9.99 to 14.99 the last time I visited (3 years ago), but their plants often looked abused, often unwatered, tipped over - the reason why its been so long since I have been there. Same plants species at each, but different prices. My observation is that Hick's is an understaffed, high traffic nursery in a slightly cheaper real estate zone. Viette has plenty of exceptional staff, less customer volume, and in a much fancier neighborhood. These differences account for differences in price.
If we want nurseries in our neighborhoods, we must visit them, go at the least three times a year-not counting when you buy Christmas trees. Ask for plants in the spring, summer, and definitely autumn. New York City is a downright excellent place to plant in autumn. Check out the Blogging Nurseryman to keep up on the difficulties of running a small, independent nursery. Its got to be harder in the real estate frenzy of New York City.
Yet what we do have in New York City is discerning, curious plant lovers. Our gardens are small, but come on, this is one of the best places to garden given our climate and rainfall. I hope these nurseries can develop a strong base of customers who support them because they are small, knowledgeable, and have unique offerings. I hope these nurserypeople consider the vast ethnic variety of New York City so that they can provide plants desired by people from all over the world. Good luck. I'll visit soon.
I have not been to the Gowanus Nursery since its inception on 3rd. I haven't been to Chelsea Garden Center since it was only in Chelsea. Liberty Sunset, well that's just too new, but I think I was staring at its plastic sheeted greenhouse for at least a couple of years. What I do realize is the dependence on cars to get to these establishments (B77, B71, and B61 buses go to the neighborhood).
Do you know one of those people who will drive all around town to save three cents on gas? Don't drive out of town for plants unless that's what its all about-the drive out of town, nice day in the country (or on the L.I.E.). As for price differences in Red Hook, I say the nurseries are close enough to each other to shop around. But really, what do you think a flat of annuals should cost in NYC? Let me tell you about 4.99 a gallon perennials I buy in Maine when I drop in. And prices are going up, for us and the retailer-the price of fuel alone is driving up the price of everything.
I expect that if each of these nurseries has a specific identity, they all may last. Specialize, have good service. Keep your plants watered. Twenty bucks for a flat of annuals isn't so bad. Twenty bucks ain't what it used to be. The souls who work out in the rurals, those folks who put seeds into flats in humid greenhouses need to make their dollar too. This is NEW YORK CITY! I expect twenty dollar flats to be near the bottom! When I was 19 I worked at Frank's Nursery & Crafts. We sold flats of annuals for 7.99-11.99. This was in 1989. What has happened to the price of everything in 18 years? How much is the real estate you garden on worth? This isn't the suburbs either, where you may have a 1/4 acre to fill with your annual mash up. The lots are small, no doubt not filled with annual starts. In places like NYC small things cost more than big things elsewhere. Either way, I don't hesitate to say, if you want the cheapest annuals, try the big chains.
I do gauge a nursery's prices, but not on a flat of disposable annuals-a luxury product. I gauge them on the price of a half or full gallon perennial and with the knowledge that some perennials will cost more than others, even if all in the same sized pot. I do this with the understanding that year after year, this plant will be with me, and divisible. Suddenly, that 14.99 dollar gallon seems on low side, 12.99 a downright bargain. I'd say that 12.99 is the minimum we may find locally. I suspect, too, that the price of the gallon is relative to the attention paid to it while it at the nursery.
An example: Hick's Nursery and Martin Viette Nursery. Both out on Long Island, about an hour's drive. Viette is on Route 25A in East Norwich. Hick's is on Route 25 in Westbury. Viette has higher prices (12.99-19.99) per gallon perennial, but the upkeep is excellent. Hick's has lower prices, say 9.99 to 14.99 the last time I visited (3 years ago), but their plants often looked abused, often unwatered, tipped over - the reason why its been so long since I have been there. Same plants species at each, but different prices. My observation is that Hick's is an understaffed, high traffic nursery in a slightly cheaper real estate zone. Viette has plenty of exceptional staff, less customer volume, and in a much fancier neighborhood. These differences account for differences in price.
If we want nurseries in our neighborhoods, we must visit them, go at the least three times a year-not counting when you buy Christmas trees. Ask for plants in the spring, summer, and definitely autumn. New York City is a downright excellent place to plant in autumn. Check out the Blogging Nurseryman to keep up on the difficulties of running a small, independent nursery. Its got to be harder in the real estate frenzy of New York City.
Yet what we do have in New York City is discerning, curious plant lovers. Our gardens are small, but come on, this is one of the best places to garden given our climate and rainfall. I hope these nurseries can develop a strong base of customers who support them because they are small, knowledgeable, and have unique offerings. I hope these nurserypeople consider the vast ethnic variety of New York City so that they can provide plants desired by people from all over the world. Good luck. I'll visit soon.
Fall is the time
Fall is the time I most want to plant. Many would suspect that it would be spring, after a long winter. But autumn I think is the ideal time, especially in New York City. In the typical Brooklyn autumn, I like to start my transplanting around Halloween and often after that date. Given my garden's southern exposure and the warm temperatures we have been having over the last few years, my asters, sunflowers, roses and some annuals are still flowering at that time. I have years when these plants are still going in December. So it is that I hate to disrupt this display by tramping all over everything and digging things up. I want to wait until the last moment, keeping my eye on the coming weather. These days I'm just thinking about moving things, but in November, I'm probably doing it.
Fall being a time to garden, transplant, and to find new plants, I like to go to nurseries. However, these days nurseries are filled with pumpkins, hay bales, and assorted autumnal decorations. Maybe they have bushels of apples for sale and hay rides in a wagon. Even my local nursery, and I am lucky to have one, brings out the decorations at this time of year.
J&L Landscaping on the corner of Caton Ave. and E7th St. in Brooklyn
We are all familiar with the Christmas trees and wreaths sold at nurseries in December. I am sure that many of you have noticed the creep of holiday sales into the fall planting season. Now I don't blame the nurseries. After all, they are businesses trying to make a buck. Most non-gardeners buy plants in late spring and summer -when it’s on their minds. Gardeners of course are a different breed altogether, it’s always on their minds. So the nurseries succumbed to a business model that offers nostalgia and sentiment over plants. Check out the Blogging Nurseryman.
Part of the issue is that many nursery plants just look like hell in their pots at this time of year. Management wants them to be out of sight of future customers. Many days seen without water, blown over in windstorms, root bound in their pots. Who'd want to buy them? I just miss the days of sales, when a good gardener could resurrect almost any plant under duress, and get a good deal or two. The industry is such that retail nurseries will only get shipments of what the wholesale growers are pushing. In fall, you know it’s the Chrysanthemums. To be fair, most nurseries are still offering their selection of trees and shrubs until frost. Those are out past the 1/2 acre of pumpkins and hay bales.
Gone are the days of mail order plants. I remember my first shipment from a catalog. Some dehydrated roots of who knows what! How disappointing to open a shipment of new plants and find three brown twigs. I was sure they were dead already, but then I was a kid and didn't know the first thing about it. The Internet changed all that. Glorious photos, all year round, of full healthy plants. Easy ordering and easy shipping. Suddenly it was possible to get healthy, although small, plants fresh on your doorstep at the time to plant. Every plant I have ordered has survived, even thrived.
White Flower Farm was the source for my Russian Sage, my Boltonia, and my Aster "Monch". All are very healthy. I also got nice lilium bulbs from Select Seeds, but get on it early as they do sell out. The only worry we have is whether or not we can be there when the FED EX guy shows up.
If you can tear yourself away from the Internet, go on over to your local nursery this fall and buy a plant (if you can find one). While you’re there, pick up a pumpkin. Still can't get those online.